Abstract Impressionism Opening Reception

Susan Marx will exhibit Abstract Impressionist Paintings at the Orbital Gallery located in Hat City, Orange from 12/12/16 to 03/09/17.

Opening Reception is Monday Evening, December 12 from 6pm to 9pm

It is easy to identify the alluringly colorful abstracts that typify Susan Marx’s new work, as she has a style that is her own. She is an Abstract Impressionist, A Painter Who Loves Color. This style allows Marx to expel realistic subject matter while retaining the “feel” of nature. “These paintings are paintings from the inside of my head, deep down in my subconscious,” Marx says. “Painted from what nature leaves with me.”

When painting, Marx allows herself to be led by emotional sensations rather than an intellectualized plan. Perhaps you could call it stream of consciousness painting. She paints at a passionate, furious pace with large brush strokes rarely waiting for prior layers to dry. The work becomes a sort of chemical reaction, concluding in an explosive collision of color and texture. Marx often leaves blank spaces on her canvases, most typically at the edges. It is a decision, she says, that “lets the painting breathe.” For Marx, process and intent are one and the same. “My paintings are conversations,” she says, “between my eyes, my head, my heart, my gut, and the canvas in front of me.”

Marx is most interested in capturing the essence of a piece, bringing color and emotion together but leaving enough space for the viewer to engage his or her imagination. In this way she hopes to bring the viewer into the painting itself, to extend the story of the piece beyond artistic intent and physical content. Of her own role, Marx says, “I paint as a result of my radical amazement at the beauty of the visual world.”

If you asked her who her muses are, she would reply: the Impressionist Monet and second generation Abstract Expressionist Joan Mitchell. Susan Marx received a BFA in painting from Boston University. She likes to continue her education by taking frequent painting trips to France: Giverny many times, Honfleur, Étretat, Rouen, Arles, St Rémy and Provence. This summer, she painted in Paris.